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Be it known that I, JOHN C. JEWETT, of the city of Bualo, county of Erie, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Refrigerators; and `I do hereby declare that the foliowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference'being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. I

Figure I is a front elevation; and

Figures I, 2, and 3, horizontal, transverse, and longitudinal sections.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the trap of the drippipe; and

Figure 6, a cross-section of one of the metal-covered 'rack-bars.

My invention relates to the construction of the bars or slats which are'used to form the ice-racksof refrigerators, and consists in making them of wood, sheathed with zinc or other sheet metal, the joints of the sheathing metal being made hermetically tight by soldering or otherwise, to prevent the absorption of moisture by the enclosed wood.

As represented most clearly in ig..6, I construct the bars of any suitable wood, which should be thoroughly seasoned, so as not to be subject to shrinkage after it is made, and of any size adapted to that of the ice-box; one inch thick by two inches in width being suitable for ordinaryv refrigerators. These slats, having been planed smoothly so that a close fitting of the sheathing metal may-be secured, are coveredwith sheet zinc, galvanized iron, or other suitable metal, rolled, pressed, or otherwise shaped to closely fit the wooden slat, covering not only the sides and edges, but also the ends'in this manner. I prefer to apply the sheathing` in two strips, each being rst formed in the shape of a trough, so that when the two are applied the edges of one overlap those of the other, and thus forma double thickness of the sheet metal, f f, at the edges of the bars, by which their strength is greatly increased. Allthe joints of the metal sheathing arc then soldered so as to exclude water from entering and being absorbed by the pores of the wood. By this construction, I secure several importantadvantages. First, as regards strength and lightness: The sheathing `of metal surrounding. the wooden bar forms a square or rectangular tube, a form which in itself possesses great strength, which is much increased in this case by the interior space being compactly lled by wood, which not only adds its own inherent stiiness, but prevents the metal from springing or warping under a strain. The resistance of the metal is doubled, also, at each end of Athe bar by doubling the thickness, the two being soldered together so as really to form but one. Secondly, the metal covering prevents the wood from absorbing moisture from the drippings of the melting ice, and'thus obviates a very serious objection to wooden slats, that of their becoming sour and mouldy from being kept constantly Wet, and thus rendering the atmosphere within the refrigerator impure. Thirdly, the metal prevents the marring and injuringvof the fibres of the wood by the corners and edges of the iceb locks falling upon them, while bars formed in-this manner are muchvlighter, and more conveniently handled and removed than those of metal entire, if made heavy enough to resist the strain brought' upon them by large masses of ice.

What I claim as my invention, is The construction of ice-racks, for-refrigerators; of bars of wood sheathed 'and hcrmetically enclosed in -zinc 'or other sheet metal, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein set forth.

JNO. C. JEWETT.

Witnesses ALBERT BRAUss, WILLIAM KNOX. 

